Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-02-10
and put him completely to rodt. 2

and put him completely to rout.
Pillows attack was sudden and furious.
Reveille was just sounding in Netherlands
camp and the troops were not under arms
when the onset was made There was con-
fusion, there was danger that the whole right
wing of the Federal army would be routed
In few minutes though, in scarcely more
time than it takes TO write it, Netherlands
men, gun in hand, had their faces toward the
foe
The account of the fierce onset and shock,
and its reception by the Federal soldiers
read like some of Caesars battles with the
Gauls. Gen. Oglesby, of Illinois, who COM
manded brigade ON the right, received the
first tremendous attack His men returned
fire till their ammunition gave out They
snatched up the cartridge boxes from the dead
and dying and poured their contents into the
foe till that too gave out. Then Col. W. II.
L. Wnllaces brigade went to the rescue.
That at length quailed before the atrebly
laundering" attack lamented statesman,
who has lately passed TO the realm of the un-
seen, distinguished himself calamity here.
He was then colonel of the Thirty-first Illi-
nois and his name was John A. Logan. He
was here and there and everywhere in that
battle showering electric words upon his
men, his dark face lit with excitement, his
eye shining like an eagles. By tie magnet
ism of his personal influence he prevented a
panic and rout early in the day.
Netherlands division, with Taylor's,
Dresser's and McAllister's batteries of light
artillery, met the Confederate onset bravely
and wei. TO the right of Oglesby still was
Gen. Macarthur, nearest the river. He had
been ordered there the night before, with
1 n IN
passed the night in the snow and sleet, with
out fires or shelter. Cen Macarthur had had
no time TO become acquainted with the nature
Of the ground. He only knew that he faced
Fort Donelson The Confederate design was
TO make a dash and get cavalry in his rear,
and then with cavalry torear Of him, infantry
before, he would be powerless
Soldiers do not always find it easy TO fight
on full stomach, but McArthur's men had
tasted thirty-six hours. In this state Of hun
ger they were when they heard at o'clock in
the morning the firing ON Oglesby on their
left As soon as it was heard, without wait
| ing for orders, Macarthur formed his empty
stomached men in line of battle. They took
lively hand in the fight. But presently
worse trouble than empty stomachs CON
fronted them, and that was empty cartridge
boxes. Before that obstacle they were indeed
powerless, and so the brigade fell back some
hundreds Of yards to the rear and took up a
new position. 1t is sufficient to say of them
that toward night they got one square meal,
and then moved over TO the left of the Federal
forces to support the troops fighting there
The morning progressed. 1t began TO look
indeed as if Pillow was going to carry out his
threat to troll the enemy over" McArthuris
brigade had crumbled away So had
Oglesby's. Netherlands division was III the
gravest danger In the center, Lew Wallace
with the Third division, was lying inactive
His orders were to act on the defensive and
watch the Confederates to prevent their es
Gaping his way.
Pillows division, in deploying, spread wider
and wider, and more and more toward Lew
Wallace. Netherlands division began to
waver. Three Confederate batteries, Maney's,
| Porter's and Graves, poured steady fire into
it. Buclzner was advancing, too, with his
men, with FORESTS cavalry fitting about the
outskirts.
The three Federal batteries had exhausted
their ammunition. Taylor's alone had fired
that morning / 200 rounds. Buckner had or
dered an advance of three regiments before
noon. They had been met with binding
fire from Col. w II. l.. Wallace's brigade.
Snow flying in tbs cir confused them SO that
they could not see their way besides, and
they fell back to their entertainments In dis
order
But presently Buekner gathered his forces
and came calamity on again.
McClernand sent word to Lew Wallace to
aid him. In the absence of positive orders
| from headquarters Wallace declined to move.
The place grew hotter and hotter, Col.
John A. Logan was wounded. McClernand
again sent word to Wallace, ard this time
Wallace ordered forward Col. Cruft's
brigade, the first in his division. Here an UNI
fortunate mistake occurred, and several regl-
ments of Federal soldiers fired into each
other, doing serious damage. Cruft's brigade
took the places of McArthur's exhausted men.
Cruft's men fought CALAMITY, but at length
| fell back some distance and took up position
near the hospital.
When Logan was wounded he suggested to
| Col. T. +. G.. Ransom, of the Eleventh llli-
nois, to take his place with tho Eleventh.
Ransom, too, had been wounded, but had had
his wound dressed Both were heroes that
day. Logan's regiment was quite out Of ann
munition, therefore forced to fall back, when
| its commander went TO have his wound
dressed The Thirty-frst marched back for
| ammunition, leaving the Eleventh alone in
the fray. But the Eleventh was attacked not
only in front, but on both TANKS, and finally
broke and retreated.
Gen. Wallace still waited, with his division
in line, for orders from Grant. McClernand's
| second message had been that his TANKS were
turned and his whole command was endan-
Gered. 1t was then that Col Cruft's brigade
wks slnt to his relief But the Confederate
pillows still swept on. Fugitives from the
fight scattered down the hill behind Wallace's
division. A mounted officer galloped by. He
had lost his head completely, and shouted to
the general: 1--WE are cut to pieces"
Then Lew Wallace took the responsibility
of the order of battle upon his own shoulders.
Instantly he ordered up his third brigade, Col
Thayer commanding, and threw it across be-
tween the broken troops and the advancing
Confederates. Other regiments were behind
as a reserve. lie had barely got them in line
when Pillow and Buclncr. combined, swept
down upon them The brigade stood like
rock. Here was some of the most splendid
fighting of the war.
The First Nebraska regiment and Woods
Chicago light artillery received the shocks
first, and here at last the Confederate pillows
were thrown back. They had struck sea
wall, and could sweep no further. "They
Withdrew said Gen. Buckner, Fin some CON
fusion, but without panic, to the trenches
1t was about noon. This was the end of the
sortie. Lew Wallace had saved the day at
at DonelsOn.